Pierre Gasly has spoken of his growing friendship with Lewis Hamilton after the “very touching” comments following his Italian Grand Prix win.
After capitalising on Hamilton’s penalty to take his maiden Formula 1 win at Monza, the six-time world champion praised the “fantastic job” the Frenchman has done since he returning to AlphaTauri, adding he “deserves the success” after being treated unfairly by Red Bull when he was demoted last year.
“For me, Lewis is a very special guy, someone I really looked at when I was a kid and in my eyes is probably the best driver we ever had in F1, or at least part of the two or three top guys if not the best guy,” Gasly said, responding to Hamilton’s praise on ESPN‘s F1 podcast.
“So when I heard the words he said it’s obviously very touching and unbelievable because for me it feels strange because these guys I looked at since I’m 10 years old and was always a great example to follow and now I’m racing with him and he’s talking this way about me.”
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It was then Gasly spoke about the strong friendship they’ve developed, something he revealed increased through playing Call of Duty on the PlayStation during the lockdown.
“I got to know him a bit more in the last two years, we actually texted the day before on Saturday, before the race, and all over the weekend as I wanted to ask him some advice on other things,” he said.
“He’s been always very nice to me, very open, always trying to help.
“When you get such strong words from a six-time World Champion, who will become a seven-time World Champion in a couple of months, it’s pretty special.”
After his win, many have speculated whether Red Bull could be compelled to promote Gasly back to the senior team, though Helmut Marko has suggested he’s happy to leave him leading the charge at AlphaTauri.
Still, ahead of the Tuscan GP at Mugello, the 24-year-old has admitted he would accept the chance to return.
“I’m competitive and I’ve already said it’s the goal for every racing driver, you want to be in the fastest car possible to get the best positions you can,” he said.
“Even though I feel at the moment we are performing at a high level and really extracting everything from the AlphaTauri car, my personal target is to fight for podiums on a more regular basis, and wins and championships if possible. I always try to be in the fastest car available and this will always be the target.
“At the moment we didn’t really have time to talk about all this. Helmut congratulated me in Monza, sent me a text. Similar for Christian [Horner]. They were both really happy for my success,” Pierre added.
“What it’s going to change for the future, I didn’t really think about all this. I didn’t discuss anything with them.”